Assembly resumes to settle key matters

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly resumed its session after two weeks of recess yesterday, hoping to resolve three crucial matters in the remaining 17 days.

The Assembly's ad hoc committee chair in charge of the State Policy Guidelines R. Hartono said each of the five factions in the Assembly would need several days to regroup to discuss motions on general election rule changes, revocation of floating mass policy and human rights protection.

"We have yet to reach agreement on these matters simply because they are also being debated in the other ad hoc committee," Hartono said.

The other ad hoc committee, led by Wiranto, saw another lobby among leaders of factions yesterday to discuss the three motions supported by minority factions the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

"I hope we can clear all differences in the next two weeks," said Wiranto, who is also Army Chief of Staff.

The Assembly is scheduled to end its deliberation on Jan. 23 and will regroup in March to endorse decrees and the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines and elect a president and vice president.

A PPP representative, Muhammad Buang, said his faction insisted on election rule changes to allow all political organizations contesting the polls to administer the elections.

"The presence of representatives of poll contenders in all institutions related to the elections will ensure a fair and honest election," he said.

He said the motion to drop the controversial floating mass policy, which bans political organizations from reaching subdistricts and villages, was pursuant to the public's expectation for democratization.

Buang said all the five factions had agreed on a draft of human rights protection, but could not yet accept PPP and PDI's demand for the Assembly to adopt it as a separate and more powerful decree.

The dominant Golkar faction has suggested that the Assembly accommodate human rights protection in a new section of the State Policy Guidelines, but both PPP and PDI have not accepted the offer.

Buang said Golkar's offer was a significant progress in deliberations, given that the faction had previously failed to elaborate human rights protection in its state policy draft.

The Assembly has decided to adopt Golkar's draft as the outline of the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines. (amd)